


Rainbow's End

by inbetweencabs



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-29
Updated: 2011-05-29
Packaged: 2017-10-19 21:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/205339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inbetweencabs/pseuds/inbetweencabs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story about an old movie theatre, fate, second chances and falling in love in the rain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rainbow's End

**Author's Note:**

> **Written for Kradamadness Round 9: Movies for spangel_kat's prompt: _adam goes to the local theater every thursday night for their weekly "movies from the past" showings. he meets kris there, who shares the same passion for old films. it's only natural that they start sitting together._**
> 
> Thanks to my betas pataisen and claire_kay.

Everyone in Old Clearing had a story about The Chelsea Theatre. Maybe it was how they went there as a child to see their first movie. Or the obnoxious amount of popcorn they ate while watching cheesy B films with their friends on the weekends off school. Sometimes, it was how they had their first kiss while they stood beneath the muted fluorescent light by the ticket counter.

Adam’s favourite stories to hear, however, were of people who knew they had met the love of their life while at the Chelsea – when hands briefly brushed together while reaching for the popcorn at the same time, the way a head fit into the crook of a shoulder perfectly, the first time they had had the nerve to hold the other’s hand in the comforting darkness of the theatre willing their hands not to sweat.

Adam’s story was a little bit different though. His Grandpa Fred was the one who built the Chelsea and managed it when it was the centre of the town’s entertainment. His father proposed to his mom at the Chelsea’s ticket counter, the ring hidden inside the dollar bin. Adam’s memories were of him running along the tiled lobby, popcorn spilling from the bag as his brother Neil chased him. He took his first love Brad to see _Frankenstein_ at the Chelsea. On their first date, he was mortified to see that his Grandma Beth was lurking in the projection room as he moved in for a kiss.

Only a few people still came by the Chelsea but its history kept it open, as what was to be expected from a small town where landmarks were chosen mostly because of sentimentality. Adam’s mom inherited the theatre when Grandpa Fred died five years ago and it was her idea to come up with theme nights to keep the business coming in despite the competition from the more sophisticated cinemas at the mall. It had been successful so far with Oscar Mondays, Tuesday Tearfests, Whiplash Wednesdays, Friday Fright Night, Laugh-Out-Loud Saturdays and Disney Sundays keeping the Chelsea afloat.

And then of course, there was Golden Thursdays.

Golden Thursdays always reminded Adam of Grandpa Fred. Adam was 15 when Grandpa Fred gave him free rein to manage the projection room and choose the movie to go into the reel every Thursday. He thought it was mostly because he started a love affair with Old Hollywood films when he saw _Gone with the Wind_ for the first time when he was 10. There was something about that era that spoke to him – maybe it was the costumes, the makeup, the affected dialogue, the glamour – but as soon as he first laid eyes on Tara, he was a goner.

His Thursday routine always started with him showing up at the Chelsea at 4pm, cleaning up before preparing the reel of his pick of the day. He would then settle down at the ticket counter to help his cousin Allison who took over his responsibilities when Adam moved to the city. But whenever he had time to visit Old Clearing, he went back to his old routine as if no time had passed at all.

Having moved to the city, Adam found that he was better suited to that way of life. He thrived on the excitement, adventure and buzz of the city. But there were times when the energy became too much, and when that happened, Adam would throw a few things together in his bag, get into his car and drive the two hours to Old Clearing. There was nothing that made him feel lighter than seeing the tree-lined streets at the town centre leading to his childhood home. Maybe it was the way that the slivers of sunlight passed between the thick magnolia trees and how it highlighted the cobblestone sidewalk, or the charming rows of establishments that have been in Old Clearing for as long as Adam could remember. It was just home and maybe that was all it needed to be.

Adam worked as a jewelry designer in New York City. He was still in college when he met Audrey in a jewelry fair at Central Park. She introduced him to various materials and how to handle them, opening his eyes to the type of excitement and adventure that could only come from the challenge of a creative process. He was still working part-time with Audrey even if he was beginning to branch out on his own with his small company _Rabbit Hole_. With the help of his best friend Danielle, he launched an online store and travelled to participate in trade fairs. It was a slow start but it made Adam happy because he could focus more on the designing aspects of the business.

This was why Adam found himself in Old Clearing for a few weeks that one particular summer, trying to get some inspiration for a new collection that he would launch in the biggest jewelry fair in New York. Of course, since he was in Old Clearing, Adam went back to his old Thursday routine. He decided that Allison’s ongoing Audrey Hepburn theme was pretty fantastic: if the ticket sales for the week’s screening of _Roman Holiday_ was any clue, the town obviously approved of her choice, too. They had been selling tickets for the best part of an hour but there was still a queue that spilled into the sidewalk.

“Every Thursday at 6pm on the dot, he comes in. Without fail.”

Adam followed Allison’s eyes as they tracked the movements of the guy who just bought a ticket. He wore a Ninja Turtle shirt, grey jeans that looked like they were black once and sneakers that sorely needed washing or maybe a replacement. A viola case and a tattered messenger bag were placed beside his feet as he stood by the concession stand, popping the raisinettes he just purchased into his mouth by the handful. He badly needed a haircut, if the way his hair constantly fell in his eyes was any indication.

“When did he start coming here?” Adam asked, handing tickets to the elderly couple in front of him.

“June, I think,” Allison answered. “He’s always alone, though. Kind of weird, if you think about it.” At Adam’s raised eyebrows, she shrugged and said, “he’s cute. He goes to the movies alone. I’m just wondering, that’s all.”

Adam’s eyes followed the guy’s progress through the lobby and he noted that Allison was right – the guy was cute. “Maybe this is his alone time. Or maybe he’s shy.” He heard a snort coming from Allison.

Allison lowered her voice and sat closer to Adam. “About two weeks ago, he didn’t come out for 30 minutes after _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_. He just sat inside, in the dark and stared at the screen. I had to come in and ask him to leave because I had to go home. He looked sad.” She sighed. “He wasn’t crying or anything but he just looked like he was really gutted, you know? I wanted to give him a hug. I was too shy, even though he seems like a really good guy.”

Adam watched as the guy entered the theatre, a bottle of water in his left hand and the viola case in his right. His curiosity was piqued by what Allison told him and it made him want to know what the guy’s story was because he was at the Chelsea after all.

 

* * * 

 

It had been raining nonstop for an hour and Adam watched as people either ran into the rain or opened their umbrellas after they spilled out from the theatre. There were only a few people left on the premises – a young couple making out by the dark corner near the restrooms, a mom tucking in her sleeping toddler in the pram and the guy with the viola case.

His face was passive as he stared at the wet pavement, toes lightly tapping in tune – weirdly, Adam thought – with the rain. He sat on the bench just outside Chelsea’s door where he was still safe from the rain and he stayed there even after all the other people in the lobby had left. Adam looked at his watch and saw that it was almost 11. He noticed that the guy yawned, his eyes almost closing when he wiped them.

Before he realised what he was doing, Adam found himself standing in front of the guy and noticing again how cute the guy was, especially up close.

“Hi. It’s totally cool if you want to stay but I’ll be closing up in a few minutes and it will be dark in here. I have a huge umbrella and I can totally walk you to your car. That is, if you want to.”

When the guy looked at him and smiled, Adam felt his stomach flipping a little, his cheeks warming slightly.

“It’s alright. I took the bus so I’m just waiting for the rain to let up so I can walk to my stop.”

He began to stand but Adam reached out to stop him. “No, stay. I don’t have to go until I finish everything I need to do, anyway. You can stay in the lobby if you’re getting wet over here.”

“It’s okay, I’m good out here. Thanks.” There was that smile again and Adam found himself smiling back softly.

Adam reluctantly walked back into the lobby. He swept, cleaned out the concession booth, refilled the cup dispenser and boxes for the next day before going into the box office to complete his final tally and take the money box to put into his backpack. Before leaving, he headed into the theatre and into the projection room to check all the switches one last time.

It was nearly midnight when Adam turned off the lights at the lobby, leaving the two by the door on. The rain was beating down steadily and the guy with the viola was still sitting at the bench except that he looked fidgety, glancing at his watch every few minutes.

Adam walked towards him. “About to miss your bus?”

“Does your offer still stand?” He gave Adam a small smile. “The last bus leaves in 20 minutes and um, the bus stop is 10 minutes away. I don’t want my viola to get wet so…”

Adam held up his hand and flipped the umbrella open. “Let’s start walking then.” He turned to smile at the guy. “I’m Adam, by the way.”

“I’m Kris.” The guy stepped beside him, hugging the viola case close to his chest.

They were walking closely together, the rain pelting them from behind even as they folded themselves as closely together as possible. Adam gripped the umbrella tightly, turning his head towards Kris when he heard him speak. “I’m sorry about this. You’re getting all wet because of me. I mean, this is probably out of the way for you…”

“I just walk to Chelsea and my house is a street away from the bus stop so it’s no big deal.”

Kris nodded and grinned up at him, making Adam notice that Kris had the perfect height to rest his head on Adam’s shoulder and Adam so wanted to just put his arms around Kris to draw him closer. Kris’s hair was matted to the right side of his head where the rain drenched it and his wet shirt clung to his back, which was perfectly sculpted as far as Adam could see. Adam felt drops of water dripping from the left side of his face and the left leg of his jeans was practically dripping but he did not really feel cold, maybe because Kris’s shoulder was lightly touching his chest as they walked.

They had almost made it to the shelter of the bus stop when a car sped by and Adam jumped in surprise when he felt water splatter all over him. He let out a curse when he felt the water flowing down his back and he almost dropped the umbrella. He opened his eyes and realised that he had his arm around Kris’s back and Kris’s was around Adam’s waist. Kris was looking up at him with an unreadable expression and Adam could see the drops of water clumping his eyelashes together.

Adam felt as if he was suspended in time, just looking into Kris’s eyes while standing under the umbrella. His fingers slipped but Kris reached up quickly to put his hand over Adam’s, helping him to hold the umbrella over their heads.

 _We’re holding hands_ , Adam’s mind supplied lamely as he blinked to try and break the spell.

That was when another car sped by, drenching them both in water and making them move even closer to each other. Kris let out a loud laugh that made his nose scrunch up. Kris lunged towards him and Adam chuckled, pressing his face to Kris’s wet hair.

“Oh god, you should’ve seen your face,” Kris said in between breaths, his forehead resting on Adam’s shoulder. He then mimicked Adam’s startled expression and they both doubled over in laughter.

“I don’t _twitch_ like that!” Adam protested as they continued walking. Kris couldn’t seem to stop laughing and Adam tried to pout even if his mouth was also twitching upward. “This is what I get for helping you? I should’ve just let you sleep on that bench until the rain stopped.”

Adam was still smiling when he saw that Kris’s hand was still resting over his, helping to keep the umbrella steady.

Kris seemed to notice too because his smile turned shy as he removed his hand from Adam’s. Kris turned to jump over a puddle to get into the bus stop. Adam followed him, shaking out the umbrella before closing it and sitting next to Kris on the bench while waiting for the bus.

“You don’t have to stay. It’s late and I’m sure you want a hot bath after the free shower we got just now.” Kris turned to him, watching Adam lean down to wipe his face on his shirt.

“It’s okay. It’s probably a better idea for me to stay on here until the rain stops a little anyway.” He thought that sounded pretty convincing.

Adam learned that Kris lived in the neighbouring town of Red Mountain but loved the Chelsea and old movies so he came by every Thursday after work. Adam cheered inwardly when Kris said that he wrote songs and could play the guitar, piano and viola. Kris was also interested to learn about Adam’s family and how they managed to keep the theatre’s old-fashioned charm over the years.

“I wanted to become a director when I was a kid. My dream project was to have a cowboy movie with all the running-around-the-mountains scenes.“ Kris shrugged. “But then I figured, it was just a silly dream. So now I own a pet shop, go figure.”

“That’s not a reason for you to stop dreaming about the cowboys, though.” Adam smirked as he looked at Kris’s smiling face through the shadows. “Cowboys are hot, people would pay good money to see them romping around. I mean, _I_ would!”

Kris laughed, the sound warming Adam even if his clothes were practically plastered on his body. There was something here, something that he hadn’t felt in years. He felt it in the silence that lulled their conversation and in the way Kris’s eyes lit up when Adam waved his hands in the air as he animatedly talked about his job and how being in Old Clearing inspired him.

When Kris got on the bus, he sat by the window and waved goodbye to Adam, a bright smile on his face. Adam stood in the rain, raising his hand to wave at Kris, his folded umbrella forgotten on the bench in the bus stop. And as he walked home, he let the rain touch his face and it had felt wonderful.

 

* * * 

 

After their stroll in the rain, Adam spent the next few days just floating in his head. He found himself staring into space while in the middle of a conversation with his best friend Danielle. He also unconsciously made his coffee with extra spoonfuls of sugar and Allison almost gagged when she made the mistake of taking a sip of it. Misty-hued and droplet-shaped sketches filled his notebooks. He walked along the main streets of town every night after dinner and when he caught himself smiling as he walked from the Chelsea to the bus stop, he had to admit to himself that there was probably only one reason why he couldn’t wait for Thursday to come.

The first thing that Adam noticed when Kris came was that he got a haircut. Gone were the floppy brown bangs and in its place was a somewhat-spiky, thoroughly-messy hairstyle that seemed to make Kris’s eyes brighter and bigger. Adam could not stop the wide smile that touched his face as he handed Kris a ticket to _My Fair Lady_.

“Hi,” Adam said, almost shy.

“Hey,” Kris replied softly, a blush blooming on his cheeks.

Adam cleared his throat. “No viola today?”

Kris shook his head. “Didn’t need it. Just came here for the movie.” His eyes twinkled as he smirked at Adam. “So. Um. Thanks for helping me last Thursday.” His smile widened. “My viola and I thank you, Adam.”

“You’re both welcome.” Then groaned inwardly when he followed that up with “you got a haircut.”

Kris absently reached up to touch his unruly brown hair. “Time for a change, man. The Siamese cats down at the pet shop looked like they had better hair than me.”

Adam laughed. “Somehow, I have a hard time believing that.”

Kris blushed furiously but he was grinning when he said, “you’re only saying that because you haven’t seen those cats. You should come over and see them for yourself.”

Adam rested his chin on his hands. “I think I will.”

Kris was about to say something else when the customer behind him cleared her throat loudly enough for both of them to hear. It was only then that Adam realised that they were leaning closely together; the thought made his knees weak. He found his hands itching to touch Kris’s hair, he wanted to feel Kris’s breath ghost over his face.

It was cute to see Kris blush right to the tip of his ears as he turned around to apologise. He turned back to Adam and rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, I don’t want to hold up the line. I guess I’ll see you after the movie?” He smiled hopefully.

“You will.” He reached over and squeezed Kris’s hand before letting him walk away.

Adam’s eyes followed Kris as he walked to the concession stand to buy a tub of popcorn and a huge tumbler of soda. Kris walked around the lobby looking at the posters on the walls. Adam found himself sneaking glances at Kris, he felt like they had a secret; maybe they did because whenever Adam found his eyes drifting back to wherever Kris was, Kris was staring back and smiling at him. Adam watched him until he went inside the theatre shortly before the movie started.

Adam fought the urge to go inside and look for Kris in the middle of the dark theatre. So he busied himself by starting to clean out the concession stand and drawing some new designs in his notebook. He was just finishing his drawing for a pendant design when he heard the door to the theatre open and the guests chattered and sang as they exited the theatre.

Finally, after nearly all the guests had cleared the lobby, Kris wandered out the doors smiling and headed straight for the ticket booth where Adam was.

“I’m hungry,” Kris drawled, standing at the ticket booth. “Please point me to a food source.”

Adam chuckled. “So what, I’m your go-to guy now?”

“Well, you are from around here and all. Who better to get a recommendation from?” Kris smiled, teasing.

“I’m actually headed to Betty Sue’s to grab some dinner. She serves the best cheeseburgers and milkshakes in the world! You’re alright with that? Or I can point you to another place if you want to eat something else,” Adam said, feeling his throat go dry as he wondered if that had been too forward.

“Milkshakes and burgers are awesome. I mean, if you don’t mind me tagging along… I mean, um, if you’re meeting someone else…” Kris blushed again and Adam refused the urge to pet him, he was that adorable.

“Oh no, the owner is a friend and she would love that I brought a new customer for her.” They grinned at each other. “You’ll love it there. The peanut butter and banana milkshake is to die for!”

Kris beamed at him and nodded. “Well, I don’t think I can say no after that glowing recommendation.” He motioned his hands to the lobby. “Do you need any help cleaning up? I mean, the faster you get done, the quicker I get food.”

“You’ll do that?” Adam said in wonderment.

Kris started to say something but the loud growling coming from his stomach made the both of them crack up.

“Well…” Adam rolled his eyes. “Okay, here’s a bin bag. Can you help to check inside the theatre to see if there are any bags of popcorn or drinks left in there? I’ll come in later to sweep up.”

Adam cleaned up the front and waited for the last of the patrons to leave before locking the front door so that he could go back into the theatre to help Kris. He found Kris sitting on the front seat, looking at the curtains that Grandpa Fred had commissioned to be made. It looked more like a quilt with various embroidery and pictures sewn into it, creating a colourful tapestry of movie history.

“This is beautiful. I’ve never had the chance to see this up close before.” Kris said softly, still staring at the curtains before him.

“It’s pretty amazing, right?” Adam smiled, pride evident in his voice. “It took forever to have this made and when it was finally finished, Grandpa Fred showed me that one corner where he put my picture beside Vivian Leigh’s.” Adam pointed to the upper right corner of the curtain. “It’s right over there, at the very top.”

“That’s so cool,” Kris breathed out. “You probably miss him a lot.”

“I do but you know, I have the Chelsea and well, this is basically _him_.” Adam turned to look at Kris. “Maybe I’ll let you come in when we wash the curtains so we can look at all the pictures. That is, if we become really good friends, you know. You don’t know with people these days.”

Kris chuckled and stood. “Alright, let me buy you dinner. I think that can seal the friendship deal.” He held out his hand to Adam.

Adam took Kris’s hand as he began to stand. He tried to ignore the current he felt when their hands touched. “You think my friendship is worth one dinner at Betty Sue’s Milkshake Shack?” He gasped. “Do I really look that easy?”

Kris tugged at him and they walked out of the theatre, holding hands. “Who says it’s one dinner? I mean, we can also have dinner some other time.”

Adam’s heartbeat quickened at that and he squeezed Kris’s hand in response. “If you’re nice, maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

There were only a couple of people down at the Shack when they got there. Betty Sue screamed when she saw Adam and he nearly fell over laughing when he saw Kris take a step back in surprise. She was at least 60 years old, her red hair always up in a beehive even if she was just serving milkshakes to a bunch of high school students. She had a loud voice that seemed to bounce on the walls and her laugh was even more boisterous. She also treated Adam as if he was the son she never had; maybe it was because of this that Adam felt a special bond to her that stayed as strong as ever even after he moved to the city.

Betty Sue saw Kris and waggled her eyebrows at Adam before leading them to a booth at a far corner. “For privacy,” she teased them.

Adam felt his face heat up and before he could protest, Kris had already thanked Betty Sue. Adam ordered a double bacon and chicken burger. Kris ordered the same and an extra plate of curly cheesy barbecue fries. When it came to drinks, Adam tried to order a fruit juice but was glared down by Betty Sue. Kris merely chuckled and dutifully ordered the peanut butter and banana milkshake.

“My poor waistline,” Adam moaned. “It is not its fault that I am weak when faced with the prospect of greasy food.”

Kris looked adorably confused. “Um, if those jeans are any clue, I don’t think you need to worry about anything. Not that I was looking at your ass for more than five seconds, man.”

“Oh, is that it?” Adam grinned, pleasantly surprised. “You do look at my ass for more than five seconds, admit it.”

Kris sighed but his eyes were dancing when he said, “alright, I looked for eight seconds. Stop embarrassing me.”

“You were the one who brought up my ass!”

“No – you did.”

“I was talking about my waistline, you doof.”

Kris raised his hands in defeat. “Whatever, man. If you don’t want people to look at your ass, stop wearing those tight jeans. And the leather jacket? Yeah, it automatically makes people look at some other parts of you for more than a minute, I’m afraid.”

“I like my outfit so suck it up.”

Kris stared at him with a smirk on his face. “Alright Adam, there’s a joke somewhere in that statement but I will refrain from making it because I’ve only met you for like two hours – collectively – and my mama will be very disappointed if I start making inappropriate jokes about sucking.”

“Kris, I am shocked!” Adam pretended to be outraged. “I obviously need to worry about my virtue now.”

Kris raised an eyebrow and drawled. “Well, maybe you do.”

That made Adam’s face heat up as they continued to stare at each other. He winked at Kris. “That’s _fantastic_ information.”

Kris choked on his water.

 

* * * 

 

Adam was still laughing when their food was served. They talked about everything that came to mind and found that they had a lot of things in common. Adam thought that Kris could definitely be a friend; the fact that he was attractive was just an added bonus.

Kris told Adam that he used to be a business major in college before dropping out and going to Thailand for two years. He did some missionary work by helping build some schools and teaching music to the local children. He also basically became a beach bum because the community he served was near one.

“Ah, so you’re a nice guy,” Adam teased. At Kris’s confused look, he said, “You travelled to the other side of the world to do charity work. You just told me that your pet shop also takes in strays so basically, you run a shelter…”

“Hey, the strays need a home, even if it’s a temporary one. It’s basic human decency to…”

Adam shook his head. “You and I both know that that’s not exactly true. You’re just a nice guy… a nice guy who can’t seem to stop talking in innuendo.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“You know what they say… it’s always the nice ones.”

Kris rolled his eyes. “Whatever, man. I haven’t even done anything to you. Maybe we can talk again once I’m done with you.”

Kris burst out laughing at that and Adam tapped his hand on the table. “Ha! See? I love it when I’m right.” They grinned at each other and Adam said, “So anyway, why did you come home then? It sounded like you had an amazing time in Thailand.”

“I loved it there but we already finished the schools we were building.I felt like it was time to grow up, you know. Get a real job and all of that stuff.” Kris wiped his ketchup-stained hands with a napkin, eyes focused on the table. “I was engaged at that time and yeah, well….”

“You were what?”

“I know, right? If things hadn’t gone wrong, I would’ve been married by now.” He then rubbed the back of his neck and looked down.

Adam reached out to touch Kris’s hand. “Hey…”

Kris’s voice was toneless and quiet when he spoke. “It’s alright, it’s in the past now, anyway. It was really difficult when we were first broke up. I was so in love with Katy. She didn’t – doesn’t – really mind that I’m bisexual. Or that I’m this laidback person who can’t really have a 9-to-5 job. She said it was part of why she loved me, told me I’m a dreamer.”

“She seems amazing.” Adam gently pulled at Kris’s thumb. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you break up then?”

“I don’t know… we just woke up one day and being with each other just didn’t feel right anymore, you know?” Kris laced their fingers together. “I mean, it’s all for the best, I guess.”

Adam couldn’t stop looking at their entwined fingers. “Maybe things do happen for a reason.”

Kris looked at Adam’s face intensely before smiling softly. “Maybe.”

They just quietly stared at each other for a few minutes until Betty Sue stood on a stool in the centre of the Shack and clapped her hands loudly until everyone’s eyes were on her. “Hello, hello, I know we haven’t had one of these in a while but,” her eyes lit up when she saw Adam and he groaned internally, “our only hall-of-famer is here so I thought, why not? Let’s see if he’s still the hot stuff that he was when he got into the hall of fame.”

“What is she talking about?” Kris sat up straighter, obviously interested.

“Let’s get out of here,” Adam whispered quickly and tugged at Kris’s hand in panic. Kris just looked at him like he had grown a second head.

“Adam Lambert! Get up and show them how it’s done!” Adam remained seated so Betty Sue started to chant his name, leaving him no choice but to stand up. “Ah, there he is, our Dance-O-Rama hall-of-famer!”

Adam waved weakly as he glared at Betty Sue who was just chortling on. A few couples started to line up behind the jukebox and Adam started planning revenge plots in his head when he saw that Kris looked like Christmas came early.

“Dance-O-Rama? Dude, you need to explain this to me.”

Adam rolled his eyes and just accepted the fact that he was indeed in a very unfortunate situation. “OK, Betty Sue chooses a song from the jukebox and those people who approached her? They’re going to have a dance challenge – they’re going to challenge me and my partner, actually. They will pair up and yeah… you get the idea.”

“What’s the prize if you win? And how do you win?”

“The pair with the loudest applause wins. And that –” Adam pointed to the huge basket of candy beside the jukebox “– is the prize.”

“ ** _DUDE!_** ” Kris stood and pulled Adam up with him. “I need that basket in my life! We better win this thing.”

“We?” Adam walked after Kris who was enveloped into Betty Sue’s arms in a hug as soon as they reached the jukebox.

“Yes, we. I mean, come on. There’s no way you’re getting away from this and I want candy.” Kris faced Adam, a serious look on his face. “Tell me, if I sit there and just watch you dance, will you give me candy?”

Adam felt a laugh bubbling up but he bit his lower lip and said, just as seriously, “no. Why would I? I mean, I did all the work.”

“I thought so. So we’ll be helping each other, simple as that. How _awesome_ is that that I’m here with a hall-of-famer?” Kris stretched his arms and wiggled his legs. “I just ran out of Twizzlers, Adam. You better bring it!”

Adam just looked at Kris – who started practicing turns – with an incredulous expression on his face. “Are you even a good dancer, Kris?”

Kris looked up at him and smirked. “Oh Adam, how can you even doubt me?”

Because Adam was a hall-of-famer, he and his partner always got to dance first. Betty Sue dropped some coins in the jukebox and the intro to _You’re the One That I Want_ filled the Shack. People cheered as Adam and Kris faced each other with wide smiles on both of their faces, feet tapping to the beat. Then Kris started to wiggle his hips awkwardly and Adam lost it, doubling over in laughter. Kris tried to imitate John Travolta and ran his fingers through his hair as if he was combing it. He shimmied and flailed his arms, all done with a dorky look on his face.

Adam was still laughing so to get his attention back into the game, Kris got down on his knees and made some crazy waving motion with his chest and arms that really should not have been hot but completely was. The crowd whooped and when Kris got back on his feet, he was laughing before leaning closer to Adam and saying, “oh yeah, the candy’s in the bag!” Adam collected himself and tapped his ass a few times as he winked at Kris. He was delightfully surprised when Kris moved closer to him and shimmied. He responded by grabbing Kris’s arm and dipping him before they did a thoroughly embarrassing version of the twist. When the song ended, Kris had both of his arms around Adam’s waist, his face buried in Adam’s chest. Adam was laughing into Kris’s hair, his hands gently kneading the back of Kris’s neck.

As they walked back to their booth, Adam realized that this really was the most fun he’d had in years. He looked at Kris’s glowing face and he did not even hesitate when he reached up to gently wipe a bead of sweat from Kris’s brow. Kris grinned at him through a mouthful of Twizzlers and Adam just had to laugh.

“Excuse me.” The waitress who had served them earlier approached Kris. When Kris turned to look at her, she said, “Is it ok if you dance with my daughter Claire?” She pointed to a girl of about seven years old who was looking at them from the other table. “I think she likes you.”

Kris beamed and waved to the little girl. Claire giggled and waved back, but sat back down when she saw that Adam was also looking at her.

“Don’t scare the kid, man.” Kris patted Adam’s arm, a smirk on his face.

Adam rolled his eyes because when did he get scary, exactly? Kids love him. Claire’s mom then turned to him and asked, “Can I borrow your boyfriend for a while?”

Adam felt his cheeks burn as he took in Kris’s amused smile. He was still thinking of a reply when Kris stood and said, “of course he won’t mind if you borrow me. Right, Adam?”

“Right.” Kris squeezed his arm before getting up and walking over to Claire. Claire’s mom put in some coins in the jukebox and soon enough, Claire and Kris were dancing to _Name Game_.

Adam watched Kris as he scooped Claire into his arms and twirled her. Claire squealed, holding on to Kris before singing the chorus and spelling out her name and Kris’s. It was such an utter display of dorkiness that Adam found himself watching intently with what is probably a stupid smile on his face.

“I haven’t seen you this happy in a while.”

Adam turned and saw that Betty Sue was sitting across him on the booth. She reached out, touched Adam’s cheeks and said, “he makes you happy. I’m glad.”

He looked down and shook his head. “I’ve only known him for like a week and this is the first time that we’re hanging out.”

Betty Sue frowned. “So?”

“So it means that we’re just friends and well… I just had fun tonight!” He winked at Betty Sue. “I think it’s because of the Dance-O-Rama.”

Betty Sue laughed and squeezed his hand. “Adam, it doesn’t really matter how long you’ve known him. When the universe wanted to give you a gift, you just let yourself fall into the magic.”

Just then, Adam heard his name being yelled out across the room and he turned to see that Kris and Claire were spelling it out as they danced. Kris waved him over and he felt his grin widen as he stood up. He looked at Betty Sue and she was laughing really loudly, patting him on the back. Kris called out his name again and Adam ran over to dance with him and Claire.

And right there and then, Adam knew that Betty Sue, as always, was right.

 

* * * 

 

A week later, Adam found himself in Red Mountain and walking into Pig Sooie, Kris’s pet shop. It was a small place with some aquariums placed against the inner wall and a couple of puppies and kittens in cages right by another glass wall. Right at the centre of the room was a small litter box where three puppies were dozing off while a little boy peered at them. There was a small counter at one corner of the shop where a bearded man was frowning at the computer screen while munching on a candy bar.

Adam found Kris a few feet away from the aquariums, talking animatedly to a man who was peering into a cage with a pair of African lovebirds in it. From what he could hear, the man was looking for an anniversary present for his wife and Kris was convincing him that if he was going for romance, then the lovebirds were a good choice. The man scratched his head and walked over to the aquariums; Kris then told him that a goldfish was definitely not the right gift for this kind of occasion.

Adam was trying hard not to laugh at Kris’s mortified face as his customer began looking at the iguanas in the glass case at the bottom of the shelf, when he heard someone speak beside him.

“Can I help you?” The bearded man from the counter was now smiling at him.

Adam smiled back. “I’m here to see Kris, actually.”

“Oh, ok.” The guy then approached Kris with Adam closely following him. As soon as Kris saw Adam, his eyes lit up and his cheeks slightly flushed. Adam was very pleased that he was definitely not the only one excited that he came to visit.

“Hi, you’re here.” Kris clasped Adam’s hand and bumped shoulders with him. He glanced at the customer who was now looking at some hamsters and frowned. “Um, give me a minute, ok? I’ll just finish talking to him, go hang out with Cale a bit, if you want.” He gestured to the guy who had approached Adam and introduced them to each other.

Cale shook his hand and led Adam to the couch beside the counter. “So you’re Adam.”

“I… guess I am?”

Cale patted his shoulder when he heard the wary tone. “Hey, don’t worry, I’m just glad to finally meet you. Kris can’t stop talking about you.”

Adam felt delighted when he heard that. He tried to keep the grin for overtaking his entire face as he said, “I hope he’s saying good things about me.” He lowered his voice. “If he ever said anything bad, it’s probably a lie.”

Cale laughed. “It’s all good. He’s better company now that he’s been hanging out with you.”

That made his face break into what he could imagine was an unbelievably sappy grin and he bit his lip so he wouldn’t embarrass himself in front of Kris’s best friend. He avoided Cale’s eyes as he asked, “Have you known him for a long time?”

“Yeah, we’ve been best friends since high school and we left Arkansas together to go to Thailand. So when the chance to work together came, we grabbed it.” Cale waved his hand towards the room. “The guy who used to own this pet shop was in Phuket with us. As soon as Kris and I decided that we wanted this, he gave us the keys, so to speak, and opened a beach bar over there.”

“Well yeah. I mean, I would definitely choose a beach bar over a pet shop!”

Cale’s voice was animated when he spoke, obviously warming to the subject. “I know, right? But yeah, he’s a great guy. And when he told us that the store also has a shelter, it was a done deal for Kris and me.” He pointed at the store’s backdoor. “That leads to the shelter. We just have two dogs in there right now. More people want to give strays a home instead of getting a new puppy.”

“I think it’s wonderful. Not everyone would handle their business the way you guys do.”

Cale smiled shyly at the compliment. “Kris and I figured that the business side of things can take care of itself. I mean, we didn’t have enough money when we started this but the previous owner agreed to accept just half of the payment. We got a loan, moved across the country and here we are.”

Adam was impressed. “That’s pretty amazing though, for you to move so far away from home when you could be comfortable there.”

Cale shrugged. “We fell in love with this place and Old Clearing, too. That’s where you’re from, right?” Adam nodded as Cale continued, sounding wistful but content. “You’re lucky to live so close to home. Anyway, it was fun to set up a ‘new life’ after Thailand. We still go to Arkansas quite a bit though but right now, this is home.”

Kris then approached the counter and beside him, the man was holding a cage with a pair of African lovebirds in it. Adam gave Kris an approving smile and Kris grinned back, obviously satisfied with what he’d done. As soon as the man had paid and left with the boy who was looking at the puppies, Kris sat beside Adam.

“Betty Sue sent this,” Adam handed the paper bag to Kris.

As soon as he saw the plastic container full of apple pie in the bag, Kris actually pumped his fist in the air and quickly turned to Adam. “You remembered!”

Adam rolled his eyes even though he was sure that he was smiling kind of stupidly. “Well yeah, you wouldn’t stop texting me about it. You just wanted me to come over so I can bring you pie.”

“Don’t pout. You’re making the puppies less cute in comparison.”

Adam felt the heat rising in his cheeks when he saw Cale looking at them with amusement. “Shut up, Kris, you’re making me blush. I haven’t blushed in years. Stop smirking!” He reached over and opened the container, getting a napkin from the bag before handing Kris a piece. He then took another slice and gave it to Cale.

“You have to try it, man. It’s amazing,” Kris told Cale through a mouthful of apple pie.

“Seriously, are you a kid? Why do I hang out with you? Swallow first.” Adam laughed when he saw the twinkle in Kris’s eye. “Just eat your pie!”

Kris finished his slice in about three bites. He then looked at his watch and stood, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Hey, we better go. We can have lunch at the park.”

Adam got up and shook Cale’s hand. “It was nice to meet you. You should come by Old Clearing and maybe we can hang out.”

“Yeah, I should go see a movie in your theatre soon,” Cale smiled at him.

“Will you be alright here, man?” Kris asked as he took the two brown bags that Cale was handing to him.

Cale nodded and patted Kris’s back. “I’ll be ok, don’t bore Adam too much, he might not come back.”

“I’m not boring!”

“Yeah, stop mumbling then.” Cale pushed them out of the store as Kris glared at him. Adam waved goodbye to Cale, a very amused smile on his face.

Kris and Adam started to walk to the park just a block away from the pet store. It was almost two in the afternoon and the breeze was warm on their skin. It made Adam remember the summer when he and Brad fell in love and for the first time in years, he didn’t feel that small twinge of pain that always seemed to fill his heart when he got nostalgic.

“You’re smiling,” Kris commented, lightly nudging his side. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing, just thinking what a great day this is.” He looked at Kris. “Hey, Cale is awesome. You guys are both lucky that you have Pig Sooie.”

“Yeah, we are. I love what we’re doing there.” They sat on a bench under the shade of an oak tree. “And it doesn’t feel like a real job, you know?”

“You are a lazy fucker, Kris,” Adam teased, smiling fondly at Kris who just laughed.

“I know I am. So this kind of job is perfect for me. Plus, I get to do a lot of other things I like. I mean, I get to play music on the side too. That’s what I do every Thursday at 4, I play some music here at the park. You know, just for fun. Then after playing, I get to the Chelsea around 6 to see a movie.”

“What?! You’re playing later?” Adam flapped his hands in excitement.

“Yeah, after we eat all this food.” Kris bit into his sandwich. “Oh, I’m getting paid today too. This guy offered to pay me a hundred dollars if I would play while he proposed to his girlfriend, he wants me to sing ‘their song’. He said he’s going to bring in a keyboard so I’ll be using that.”

Adam gasped. “There’s going to be a proposal?”

“Try to control your excitement, Sandy…”

“You wish. I’m Danny. I mean, the hair, the eyes… and I’m totally fierce.”

“Right, but you totally admitted to knowing all the lyrics of _Hopelessly Devoted to You_ so you know, this argument is pointless.” Kris smirked when Adam rolled his eyes. “Like I said, there’s going to be a proposal…”

“So you’re getting a hundred bucks?”

“Um no. I said I just want a family size pizza with everything on it from that pizza place across Pig Sooie.” When Adam just stared at him, Kris explained, “I play here anyway so it's just like he’s requesting something, no big deal.”

“Is that why you’re wearing a new shirt? See Kris, as much as I love how the colours brighten your skin tone, plaid is hardly formal wear.”

“Thank you. That means a lot coming from an 80s rock music video refugee.”

Adam ignored that and instead, bopped in place. “I’ll help. I mean, it’s clearly meant to be that I’ll be here for this,” he waved his hand in the air, “momentous event.”

“I don’t think they would appreciate interpretative dancing, man. Even from a Dance-O-Rama hall-of-famer. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the crusts.”

“I can sing, you jerk,” Adam lightly punched Kris’s shoulder. “What are you playing?”

“ _My Heart will Go On_.”

“You have got to be shitting me! That is the lamest song in the world, what…”

Kris held up a hand. “I know; I feel like a complete sell-out. I mean, I practiced it for nearly five days. Cale nearly drowned himself in the tub. But Adam, a struggling musician still has to eat. ”

“Pizza over principles, you mean?”

“You’re a fast learner of the trade.” Kris swallowed the last of his sandwich. “So you know the song?”

“Who doesn’t know that song?” Adam began to sing softly and closed his eyes. As soon as he had stopped singing, he opened his eyes to see that Kris was looking at him like he was trying to figure something out.

They looked at each other for what seemed like forever, Adam hoping that Kris found whatever it was he was searching for in Adam’s eyes.

 _So this is what it feels like_ , Adam thought, his hand reaching out to touch Kris’s.

Kris blinked as soon as he felt Adam’s touch. A shadow fell over his eyes and he looked away. Adam pulled back and tried to fight the embarrassment that he felt. He started to apologize but Kris touched his face and rubbed his thumb on Adam’s cheek.

“Hey, _I’m_ sorry,” Kris whispered, his breath ghosting over Adam’s face. “I’m a little messed up, ok? I’ll… _we’ll_ get there.”

Adam nodded and leaned into Kris’s hand. The way he was with Kris both frightened and excited him, and he knew that meant that this would either be the most wonderful thing that could happen to him or the most spectacular heartbreak. Kris made him _feel_ when he should be thinking and that terrified him. And yet despite the apprehension and the uncertainty, when given the choice between safety and freefall, Adam had – as always – chosen to fall.

Kris sighed. “You have no idea how much you scare me, Adam.”

Kris sounded lost and Adam just wanted to erase the shadow that fell over his face. He tried to make his voice light when he said, “I know I’m bigger than you… but really?”

Kris turned confused eyes towards him and then doubled over in laughter. Adam joined him and the tension in the air lifted. Kris went on his knees and inched closer to press his face against Adam’s neck.

Adam had a lot of questions and he couldn’t quite explain why he felt like he had all the time in the world to know the answers to them. And so instead of asking, he gently carded his hand through Kris’s hair and said, “we’ll talk about it when you’re ready.”

He shivered when Kris mumbled a “thank you” against his skin.

 

* * * 

 

“Alright, I _guess_ you can sing with me,” Kris muttered as he started to gather their things. They had just woken up from a short nap and it was as if the scene earlier that afternoon did not happen at all. Adam marvelled at how easy it was for Kris and him to be comfortable around each other.

He preened. “I’m awesome and you know it!”

“Well… yeah, if you’re into that kind of thing.” Adam threw a napkin at Kris’s face. “Seriously though, didn’t you ever think of pursuing that? You have a beautiful voice. Don’t smirk, arrogance does not suit you.”

“I thought about it for a while but then I met Audrey and she sort of became my mentor.” Adam stood up. “The designing process fascinated me and yeah, there was no turning back. I was hooked. And now, I have my own thing going on, our company’s called _Rabbit Hole_. I know it’s just a small online store but I love the freedom of just having something of my own.”

“There’s nothing like creating something from scratch, right?” Kris smiled at him.

“Exactly! I bet you get the same feeling whenever you finish writing one of your songs.” Adam waved his hands in excitement. “You should have seen my face when Audrey gave me the first piece I ever designed.” He took out the necklace from under his shirt and showed the lightning-bolt-shaped pendant to Kris. “Of course, I still have it because I’m lame like that.”

Kris reached out and touched the pendant. It was a platinum-plated lightning bolt with two small onyx accents at the bottom. Kris turned it over and Adam’s initials were inscribed on the back, below a single eye.

“That’s the Eye of Horus. It’s an Egyptian symbol of protection,” Adam explained as Kris ran a thumb over the eye. “I know it kind of sucks…”

“Hey, I think it’s pretty cool. I really do. And it’s awesome that you kept it too.” Kris put the necklace under Adam’s shirt again.

Adam fought the urge to gasp as Kris’s fingers lightly brushed over his chest. He cleared his throat. “You only have firsts once, you know?”

Kris nodded and they started to walk towards the northern part of the park where the proposal would take place.

“Maybe you should open a store in Old Clearing.” Kris suggested. “Even online stores need to have an office of some sort.”

“I’d like that. Danielle and I have been talking about it for a while because we can’t afford the rent in the city. We’ll see.”

“You’d be awesome,“ Kris smiled at him and was about to say something else but they had reached the pond area and what they saw took their breath away.

They both stopped walking as they took in the scene by the pond. There were red rose petals scattered on the ground and white lilies floating on the pond. A keyboard was also placed in the middle of the flowering shrubs.

“Oh my god,” Adam breathed out because he felt like he had stepped into a postcard.

Kris whistled, obviously impressed. “This guy doesn’t pull any punches.” He sighed. “And to think I just asked for a pizza.”

Adam chuckled and curled his arm over Kris’s shoulders. “Sorry.” He reached for a heart-shaped balloon tied into one of the shrubs. “Oh yeah… there’s a thin line between romantic and cheesy.”

Kris laughed when he saw the balloon that Adam was holding. He had a skeptical look on his face when he said, “I just don’t get it at all. I mean, you love each other, why do you need all these things when you propose? Don’t you just have dinner or something…”

Adam fake-gasped. “Do not infiltrate this sacred occasion with your pragmatism!”

“Who even uses that word in normal conversation?”

“I do, deal with it. What is love without romance, Kris? This is really beautiful.”

“So you’re saying you want a proposal like this? I mean, what if the guy is just a good guy but has no imagination about these things? Would you be disappointed if he just asked you while you’re, let’s say, pumping gas?”

“Point taken but,” Adam sighed dreamily, “it’s nice to get a proposal like this from the one you love. I mean, **_I_** would propose like this. It’s good to have these kinds of memories, you know.”

“I guess… I just don’t get it though. I admire people who can think of these things. Look at all the planning that went into this.” He turned to Adam and shrugged. “I just think that doing something like this is just a set-up for disappointment. Who can live up to this kind of hype? People fall in and out of love all the time, a proposal like this won’t make any difference in the long run.”

Adam frowned and looked at Kris. “That… that is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Sad but true.” Kris shook his head and looked at his feet as they walked towards the keyboard. Adam wanted to reach out and take away the sadness that crossed Kris’s face. He wanted to know why Kris felt that way and he wanted to make it right.

Kris cleared his throat when the silence started to stretch into an awkward one. “Hey, what’s playing tonight at the Chelsea?”

“ _Sabrina_ ,” Adam answered, deliberately keeping his voice light. “Allison is obsessed with that movie.”

“We should go together after this thing.”

“Is that how you ask someone to the movies?”

Kris’s chuckle echoed across the park and the man who would propose, Kevin, quickly walked over to them. His girlfriend Debbie was arriving anytime soon so Kris and Adam arranged themselves by the keyboard, sitting beside each other on the bench.

“You’re severely underdressed for this occasion, Kris. What kind of a professional are you?”

Kris stuck his tongue out and took the balloon from Adam. He tied it to his belt loop and Adam nearly fell over the bench from laughing.

“Awww, my heart looks good on you.”

Adam felt his breath catch in his throat when the smile on Kris’s face turned soft and shy. Kris opened his mouth as if he was going to say something but Kevin hurried to them and said that Debbie was about to enter the pond area.

Kris started playing the song and as Debbie walked in with a shocked expression, Adam began to sing softly. Despite what he thought about the song, he still felt the emotion rising up his chest when he saw the tears that flowed freely on Debbie’s cheeks, Kevin taking in her reaction with sparkling eyes. When Adam finished singing, Kris continued to play the melody while Kevin got on one knee and recited Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 as he held Debbie’s right hand.

Before he even realised it, the sonnet’s words were flowing out of Adam’s mouth softly. Right at that moment, everything that Adam felt was in the soft brush of his shoulders against Kris’s, the heavy weight of their thighs as they sat beside each other. He looked at Kris and felt his heart beat frantically. Kris was staring at him, his eyes on Adam's mouth as he whispered the sonnet in the space between them.

From a distance, Adam heard Debbie’s teary and ecstatic “yes!” and there was cheering from the crowd that had gathered to watch the proposal. The rose petals were being swirled upward by the afternoon breeze, the lilies dancing over the rippled waters of the pond and the red balloons were swaying with the wind.

But there, right in the middle of a scene straight out of a fantasy, all Adam saw was Kris. And that was when he realized that he had fallen in love and there was no turning back.

 

* * *

 

“You’re not blinking. Why are you not blinking?”

Adam was staring blindly at the screen as Linus Larrabee danced with Sabrina Fairchild. Kris nudged him and Adam turned to see that Kris was looking at him with a small frown on his face.

“I’m watching the movie. Shhh,” Adam whispered.

“You’re not. You didn’t even smile when David sat on the wine glasses.” At Adam’s raised eyebrow, Kris mumbled. “I was watching you.”

Adam felt a rush and his heartbeat began to quicken. He smiled and tried to make his voice light as he said, “Watch the movie. Why did I even think that watching this with you was a good idea?”

“Because it is.” Then Kris turned back to the movie, his mouth quirked a little bit sideways as if he found their conversation very amusing.

Adam looked at Kris’s profile, the light coming from the screen making it the only thing he can see. An almost-forgotten memory from long ago, back when he first had his heart broken, came back to him and filled him with an overwhelming sense of amazement and dread.

 

* * * 

 

Adam had only ever been in love once. Brad was his high school sweetheart: they started dating when Adam was a senior and Brad a sophomore. They did everything together and had a lot of their firsts with each other. Adam loved Brad the way that a young heart completely could. Understandably, the way his heart was broken when it was over was just as epic in proportion.

They broke up when Brad went to college, mainly because they drifted apart. Adam tried to make it work because despite all the evidence on the contrary, he really was a romantic at heart. He believed that first loves never died, that the intensity of any relationship he would ever have could never measure up to the feeling of being kissed for the first time.

Adam spent the summer after his college graduation in Old Clearing and Brad was there too. They carried on a summer romance but they both knew that it was a swan song for what they once had. Adam was devastated after their final break-up; it didn’t help that Brad seemed to be in almost all of the happy memories that he conjured up whenever he got lonely.

Years later, when Adam looked back, he always felt a certain amount of detached fascination as he recalled the things he did just to make it all better – to make _him_ feel better. A broken heart was a selfish one in that it never looked past itself, not really caring if it destroyed everything in its path. But sometimes, one must fall apart so the pieces could be put back together again.

And that’s what happened to Adam – he fell apart.

He went on a mission and started to go out every night after he and Brad broke up, almost believing that he could find happiness and love that way. He enjoyed drinking and dancing with the exciting and colourful people that he met. The hook-ups were fun too but as soon as he was alone, the sadness would start to surface and he would be on the phone with Danielle, trying to dissect and discover where he went wrong, what he could have done to prevent it from ending. They made lists of the possibilities and rationalizing the how’s and why’s of his broken heart somehow became Adam’s therapy.

The vicious cycle continued for about a year until one particularly bad night when the alcohol couldn’t seem to numb him and his last hook-up just walked out the door with his favourite jacket. He sat in the middle of his messy living room, his pants hanging open from a sloppy hand job and started to cry. Danielle was out of town and was not answering her phone; Adam had never felt lonelier.

So he did what he always did when he needed to stop his pity party: he rationalized and made a list. But that night, instead of making a list about his past and the what-if’s and the could-have-been’s, he scribbled some of his dreams at the back of an old Burger King receipt. (Adam kept that ten-item list in his wallet and had already ticked off half of it after five years. In a way, Adam’s future started that night.)

On that same night, he took a coffee-stained napkin and wrote another list. It was a silly one and he almost threw it away but in the end, he decided to keep it under the flap of his “little black book.” Understandably, both were tucked away when Adam woke up the next day, terribly hung-over but ready to be move on.

He didn’t expect that he would be looking for that list again five years later and waving it in front of Danielle who was – much to Adam’s annoyance – calmly sipping lemonade. “I don’t know how this happened but look!”

Danielle rolled her eyes. “I already looked, Adam. Twice in the last fifteen minutes. I don’t understand what the problem is.” She smiled widely, excitement seeping from her voice. “I think we’re supposed to be celebrating, not going crazy.”

Adam looked at the list again. He still couldn’t believe it.

“Only you would make a list about…” Danielle raised her fingers to make air quotes, “… _‘Five foolproof signs that I already found The One_.’ ” Her eyes twinkled as she nudged Adam. “And only you would actually find a guy who would do all these crazy stuff.”

Adam glared at her as she laughed. “You’re supposed to be helping me.”

“I _am_ helping you.” She shrugged. “I just don’t understand why you’re freaking out. You're so focused on the how when you should actually thinking about the _why_.”

Adam sighed as Danielle snatched the small piece of paper and read it aloud.

  
_“ I, Adam, an Aquarius with a Libra rising sign and an Aries moon, am sending this out to the Universe because something good should happen to my lonely, broken heart. The Universe owes me big time after it decided to screw up the best thing that has ever happened to me._

 _These are the five foolproof signs that I’ve already found The One._

 _1\. He shall listen to me as I brilliantly spout Shakespeare because Shakespeare knows his shit about love and there will be a rain of flowers and he will keep my heart and I will love him forever… The One not Shakespeare, just so we’re clear, Universe. Stop messing with me!_

 _2\. We will get stuck in the rain and he will be gloriously wet and then there will be cowboys because they’re awesome even in the rain and I will save The One from them but not really because cowboys are awesome, they really are._

 _3\. He is going to take me down ‘cause we’re going to Strawberry Fields where nothing is real and nothing to get hung about. Strawberry Fields Forever!!!_

 _4\. Betty Sue is going to marry us!!! There will be milkshakes and candy and ohhhh, leather! It will be the best wedding ever!!!!_

 _5\. He is going to find me at the rainbow’s end and the world will fade away into darkness except for him and me because we’re amazing together and when he kisses me, the ghost of Audrey Hepburn will appear and serenade us because our love can make people rise from the dead and yeah, fuck you, universe!_

 _Signed on this day when my heart knows nothing but this PAIN and yeah, Danielle is my witness because she’s my best friend in the whole world and SHE LOVES ME, OK BRAD AND UNIVERSE, DANIELLE LOVES ME!!!!_

Adam buried his head in his hands. “Fuck, I’m such a drama queen.”

Danielle batted her eyelashes. “Can I just say how honoured I am that I was your witness even if I was not even there? I didn’t even know this list existed until today!”

“I hate you. I really do. From the core of my being, just so you know.”

Danielle giggled, obviously enjoying Adam’s mortification. “And wow, this Kris person actually did three of those things with you? I’m impressed. Are you sure he’s not a stalker who saw this list?”

“How would he even see this list? _I_ forgot this list existed until after that proposal and ok… why is this happening?” Adam groaned because an answer to that question would really help him figure things out.

“It’s cute! Why are you thinking about this too much? Stop thinking and just go with the flow…”

“I can’t go with the flow! I’m already crazy about this guy and just… I’m not even sure if he’s in this with me.”

Danielle sighed. “OK, here we go again.” She reached out to touch Adam’s hand. “What’s really bothering you? I’m sure it’s not this list because any other time, we would be screaming our heads off and laughing because what are the chances…”

“Exactly. What are the chances of this actually happening? I don’t need things like this in my life because…”

“Adam, honey. It’s alright to fall in love again.” She smiled gently. “You’re worth it. You deserve something amazing.”

Adam looked at the list again before taking a deep breath and laughing. Danielle’s right. Maybe it was time that he learned to stop obsessing about things and just let things happen. “Ok, it’s just a freaky coincidence, that’s all. I mean, it’s not like we’re going to see an Audrey Hepburn zombie in a rainbow and end up in the middle of a Beatles song.”

Danielle squeezed his hand. “I wouldn’t be really surprised if you did.”

 

* * * 

 

Kris _did_ end up taking him to Strawberry Fields.

Adam held his breath as Kris tugged him across Central Park, all the while babbling about how he always went to the John Lennon memorial every time he was in New York City, how it was a thing even if his favourite Beatle was actually Paul and how he had his picture taken beside the Imagine mosaic every single time.

Adam wondered if the universe was really messing with him.

Kris smiled as they sat beside each other, their legs tucked beneath them. “I’m glad I came. I haven’t been here in forever.”

Adam was still surprised that Kris even came to New York to see him and that he drove for two hours just to check out some of Adam’s work at the jewelry fair. He did not think that Kris would actually accept the casual invitation he mentioned before he left Old Clearing a few weeks ago but when Kris called to tell him he was coming, Adam became irrationally excited; he ended up going to the hairdresser to get some blue and red streaks on his hair and buying a pair of snakeskin boots that he did not really need.

“You should come more often. I mean, it’s not really that long of a drive. We can go around the city!”

“Yeah, I think I will.” Kris turned to look at him. “Hey, your designs at the fair are amazing! People will go crazy over them once you’ve set them up at _Rabbit Hole_ ’s online store.”

“Oh, you think so? Danielle and I are pretty excited about it.” He waved his hands in front of his face. “People do seem to love _Rabbit Hole_ and our website looks amazing! Tommy had such an amazing layout and he is a genius!”

“He’s pretty cool, yes.” Kris met Tommy, Adam’s roommate when he dropped by the _Rabbit Hole_ booth earlier in the day. He designed the online store’s layout and Adam was right: the website fit the aesthetic that Adam was going for in his designs and that only seemed to showcase the intricate detailing of his jewelry pieces.

Adam was especially very proud of the collection he presented in the fair. It had a sort of glamorous punk rock theme and his current designs were some of the best he had ever done. There were a few platinum-plated chain necklaces with stones like sapphire, aquamarine and onyx. He also made some mid-range pieces with semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and silver bases. The quirky pendants and earrings shaped like various ancient mythological symbols were proving to be quite popular among the younger and more artistic crowd.

“You really love your job, don’t you?” Kris grinned, his eyes shining with admiration. “That’s why you’re amazing at it.”

Adam was pleased when he heard that because he could see that Kris meant it. “Aw, thanks for saying that. I do try to be better because I want to do this forever.” He hugged his knees to his chest as he leaned closer to Kris. “You know what my favourite part of this job is?”

“Errr, the chance to give people fashion advice?”

Adam snorted. “Well yeah but other than that, it’s nice to see someone smile when they find the perfect thing they were looking for. I don’t know… maybe I’m cheesy, but it makes me happy.”

“I feel like I should alert everyone that you’re actually a teenage girl wrapped in leather and lace.”

“Huh, that can actually be the theme for my next collection.”

“As long as I get a cut, we’re good.” Kris smirked when Adam rolled his eyes. “Hey, I get what you mean though. There are days when I feel like that when I’m in Pig Sooie. You know, when a kid gets his first puppy and can’t stop smiling at it? That makes me feel good.” He wrinkles his nose. “Well, except for those times when I need to clean up. That always ends with me asking myself why I went into that business anyway.”

“How can you even say that? Puppies are love!”

“Yeah, they are… when they’re not pooping at your feet.”

“Hey come on, they’re cute!” Adam lightly tapped Kris’s shoulder and got excited when a thought popped into his mind. “You should go to pet fairs! I’m sure the pets would love to go out too. And you get to travel.”

Kris nodded. “Cale and I were actually talking about that, we were just worried about the logistics. But yeah, it would be fun to go around.”

Adam sat up straighter and started to speak enthusiastically. “It’s one of my favourite things about having _Rabbit Hole_. I mean, I get to travel and meet all of these wonderful people from different places and you get to see what they’re like depending on what they buy!”

Adam then went on to talk about how some were collectors looking for the next big thing and they had a really critical eye which, in Adam’s opinion, made for some really challenging discussions. There were the casual shoppers and the gift seekers who were always on the look-out for something special. The fashionable set – both the tragic followers and the absolute trendsetters – also came in droves. Then, there were those who were interested in the creative process and Adam loved talking to them the most because he could relate to them the most.

Adam was in the middle of explaining why he loved talking to eclectic art students when he saw that Kris was smirking, amusement obvious in his eyes.

Adam’s voice trailed off and he bit his lower lip. “Sorry, I really do talk too much…”

“You think?” Kris laughed and gently bumped his shoulder with Adam’s. “Hey, I’m just messing with you. It’s fascinating, really. I like seeing you excited. It makes me excited too.”

“But…”

Kris laced their fingers together and he had an earnest look on his face when he said, “I would love to know why art students are your favourite to talk to, Adam.”

So Adam talked about it and Kris just listened, his hand never leaving Adam’s.

 

* * *

 

They were walking along Fifth Avenue when Kris stopped in front of the Tiffany’s Store, his face unreadable. At Adam’s puzzled expression, Kris sighed and said, “This is where I proposed to Katy.”

Adam felt his heartbeat quicken. He reached out to touch Kris’s arm as Kris told him how he sang the song he wrote for Katy as they stood outside the store all those years ago.

“We were so happy. We were both crying and I gave her this plain band and promised her that one day, I would be able to afford a proper engagement ring to give to her.” Kris smiled at the memory. “I didn’t really plan on proposing. It’s just one of those things, you know, when you just know that it’s the right thing to do.”

“So that’s why you get sad watching _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_.” He bit his tongue when he realized that it was probably not a good idea to say that.

“Allison told you, huh?” Kris asked. Adam started to apologize but Kris waved him off. “It’s ok, I don’t mind. But yeah, watching that movie just brings back all the memories and I don’t know… it just makes me think about things.”

“The breakup was bad?”

“Well, all breakups are bad,” they smiled at each other, “but ours was not messy. We just, I don’t know… we just didn’t want the same things.”

“So you just woke up one day and it was over?”

Kris looked down. “Not really. Katy and I grew up together, we’ve known each other since when we were six and we grew older, fell in love and well… we built our lives around each other. It’s not her fault but I guess it just happened because we just didn’t know how to be without the other.” He took a deep breath. “I thought it was enough until one morning –we were just having coffee, nothing really happened and we didn’t fight or anything – when she asked me if I never really wondered what it would be like if we weren’t together our whole lives.”

Adam winced. “That must have hurt.”

“It should have,” Kris shook his head, “but the thing was, I _thought_ of the things that could have happened if we were not together instead of feeling bad that she actually asked me that.”

“It didn’t mean you love her less though. It’s natural to feel that way.”

“Not if we were going to marry each other. I just didn’t understand it and I felt guilty because suddenly, I wasn’t sure about everything and… well, to be fair to her, I just broke off the engagement.”

Adam gently laid a hand on Kris’s shoulder. “Did you tell her why?”

“Yeah because Katy is still one of the people who know me best, you know? She told me that she got it, that she felt the same way… I was just sorry that I hurt her when I was supposed to be the one making her happy, you know?”

Kris stared blankly at the display window for a few seconds, his face closed off and his back stiff. Adam stood beside him and looked at their reflection with the crowd of people hurrying on behind them, not really knowing what to say.

When Kris spoke again, his voice was soft and Adam had to slightly lower his head to hear it.

“I guess I just believed that once you’ve loved someone that much, it's impossible to have something like that again. We used to be everything to each other and just… if Katy and I didn’t make it together, how could I make it with anyone else? And… I don’t know, that thought just gets to me.” Kris looked up and Adam’s heart hurt at the sadness he saw in Kris’s eyes.

Adam’s voice was barely a whisper when he said, “it’s not your fault though. You did whatever you could to make it work. Some things are just not meant to be.”

Adam then told Kris about Brad and how he thought that he would fall in love again while scouring club after club, sharing incoherent moments with strangers who thought that alcohol was the key to all of life’s mysteries. It proved to be an exercise in futility because beneath all the fierce eye makeup, the leather and the unfiltered persona, Adam was still the guy who believed that life should always unfold like a romance movie with the perfect soundtrack and where people fall in love so easily again, it was as if the sadness had never really settled in.

“I don’t know… it’s weird but it just made me want more, or made me wish for better things.” Adam looked into Kris’s eyes, letting his feelings show. “Maybe I’ll get it one day. _We_ will get it someday.”

Kris rubbed the back of his neck. “I just don’t want to hurt anybody again.”

But Adam heard what Kris was _really_ saying so he wrapped him in his arms and spoke to his hair. “I can’t tell you that it wouldn’t happen. What I know for sure is well, it – _you’re_ worth it.”

They stood in silence for what seemed like forever, looking into each other’s eyes as the noise and energy of the city surrounded them.

Kris finally smiled and his eyes were bright as he said, “I need new memories.”

Adam nodded, relieved that Kris was smiling again. “This craziness of being sad while watching _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_ should stop. Sacrilege, I’m telling you!”

Kris nodded, his eyes warm as he stared unblinkingly into Adam’s face. “I’m really happy I met you. You have no idea.” Then, he stood on his toes and put his hand on Adam’s neck, pulling him down until their foreheads were touching, their breaths mingling together.

 

* * * 

 

Adam went home later that night and looked at his list. He read it again, with a small smile on his lips. He could hear Kris going through his kitchen drawers, looking for pots he could use to cook some pasta.

He threw the list away.

 

* * * 

 

Adam did not really know how to define his relationship with Kris. They spent a lot of time together and the effort to see each other despite the distance was there. They had fun and acted like they knew each other for years. Adam was also sure that he was not imagining the undercurrent of something else that went through them every time they touched.

Everything else was left unspoken – they had not even kissed even if they were both clearly physically affectionate. Adam tried not to think about it too much but that little shadow of doubt still crossed his mind. Since that day of the proposal at the park, Adam had been certain that he was in love with Kris; the question was whether Kris was ready to fall again – with him – too.

Adam once asked Kris if he still loved Katy, bracing himself as Kris pondered the question.

“I still think about her sometimes, or maybe I think about what we had?” Kris looked down at his feet, like he always did when he was thinking about something.

“Do you still miss her?”

“Sometimes, when I see something that reminded me of her.” Kris then stared at Adam, as if he was trying to make him understand. “But I think that I’ve finally known the difference between actually missing someone and missing the memories, you know?”

And Adam did understand because there were still times when he felt a tug in his heart whenever he remembered the first time he kissed Brad, the first time Adam told him that he loved him. But it felt like he was watching someone else, a different version of himself, play a role in a movie that he still loved but had already tucked at the bottom of a shelf.

Kris became more open after they talked about Katy but he still held back, Adam recognizing the fear in his eyes whenever they got too close. Adam always reached out because that was what you did when someone you loved pulled back – you wrap them in your arms and make them feel that you’re never letting go. Kris always responded and though he never did it with words, Adam felt it just the same – with a tight hug, a touch, a smile or even a joke – and all of that just made Adam hold him closer.

He still got impatient though and there were days when Adam thought that maybe he should just ask Kris about it once and for all, but then he realized that sometimes, words were not really enough to define certain things.

Like, when he was inside the Chelsea and Kris sat beside him, their hands fighting each other playfully inside the giant tub of popcorn.

Or those days when they just stayed at home and Kris cooked for him while Adam washed the dishes.

Sometimes, they sang.

Or each time Adam fell asleep only to wake up and see Kris sleeping too, his head resting on Adam’s shoulder, their hands twined together.

 

* * *

 

They were sitting in the kitchen of Kris’s apartment when Kris sang to Adam for the first time.

With a plate of brownies between them, Kris started to hum an unfamiliar tune, his mouth still half-full with chocolate.

Adam took a sip of water before saying, “I just realized that I haven’t heard you sing before.” He frowned. “Why haven’t I heard you sing before?”

“I always hum when we’re in the car.”

“Humming is not the same as singing. Don’t argue with me.” Adam leaned his head on Kris’s shoulder. “We’ve known each other for a while, I think it’s about time you sing for me. Oh! And I want to hear one of your original ones!”

“So entitled,” Kris rolled his eyes but his voice was laced with amusement. Adam began to tickle his sides and Kris screamed. “That’s not fair, Adam!”

Adam continued tickling him until Kris yelled, “Alright! Alright! You big bully.”

“Yay!” Adam clapped and laughed when Kris lightly punched him on the arm. “OK, I’ll be quiet now.”

“Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen,” Kris muttered. “Um, just tell me to stop if you think it sucks.”

“It’s not going to suck!” Adam put his head on Kris’s lap. Kris glared at him so he said, “ok, shutting up for real now.”

And then Kris sang. The melody was simple but held a tinge of melancholy that seemed to tug at Adam’s heart. But right in the middle of the song, Kris sang about being a drifter who finally found himself in the rain after a lifetime of being lost.

And that was when Adam _knew_.

When Kris finished singing, he looked down at Adam’s upturned face and smiled.

Adam reached up and touched Kris’s face. “That was beautiful. Sing it again.”

Kris nodded and kissed Adam’s hand. And then Adam let Kris’s song speak for them.

 

* * * 

 

Thursday was Adam’s new favourite day of the week. Audrey got tired of him trying to switch with the other people in the store so he now got his time off every Thursday and Friday. Every week, he drove to Old Clearing in time for the movie screening so he could catch it with Kris. Kris also visited him during the weekends; they spent the summer exploring New York City and re-discovering Red Mountain and Old Clearing together.

One Thursday right before summer ended, Adam picked _Rebel Without a Cause_ because Allison had a big crush on James Dean and he wanted to cheer her up before fall came and she went back to school. It was an inspired choice and Allison cooed at him.

“I hope you like the movie,” Allison hugged him tightly.

Adam petted her hair. “Hey, I chose it for you and you know I like James Dean so…”

“Yeah, well… he was really hot!” Allison’s eyes were wide and Adam felt a rush of affection for her.

By the time Kris showed up at 6, there were only a handful of people inside the theatre. Allison took over the ticket booth, pushing Kris and Adam inside after shoving a tub of popcorn and two huge tumblers of soda into their hands and yelling a really enthusiastic “have fun!” that made Adam wince and Kris laugh.

The lights were still on when they reached their usual seats at the very last row of the theatre. Adam looked around at the intricate woodwork on the walls and told Kris that he wanted to have those restored.

“Those walls have a lot of history, I wouldn’t want to change it but we need to maintain them properly if we want to keep them here forever.”

“If only those walls could talk…” Kris laughed.

“I know, right? I bet they would have some interesting stories to tell.” Adam waved his hands towards the wall.

The lights started to dim. When the movie started to play, Adam exclaimed, “what?!” and moved to stand up because he absolutely did not choose _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_.

Kris held his hand and guided him back to his seat. He leaned over and whispered, “It’s ok, Adam. I don’t mind.”

“I did not pick this movie!” He looked up at the projection room and saw Allison peeking from the window, waving at him. “That brat!”

Kris laced their fingers together. “It’s fine. New memories, remember?”

Adam reluctantly sat back and squeezed Kris’s hand.

They watched the movie in silence. Well, Kris did because Adam was watching Kris instead, trying to read the expressions that danced around his face. He relaxed after a while when he saw that Kris did not really seem to be bothered and was enjoying the movie.

When Holly Golightly started to sing “Moon River,” Adam turned his head to tell Kris that this was his favourite part of the movie. He saw Kris looking at him tenderly and there it was – the quiet and intense hum of certainty.

But when Kris leaned over and kissed him for the first time, Adam was still surprised at the intensity of the emotions that went through him. The kiss was soft and chaste, just a tender slide of lips, as if they were both assuring themselves that yes, this could last, that it was worth every risk they had to take. When Kris nipped at Adam’s lower lip, he opened up and accepted Kris, knowing that the first was always just the prelude to something that could only get better until everything just felt _right_.

Kris gently pulled at Adam’s lower lip before breaking the kiss. He reached up to touch Adam’s cheek and softly said, “rainbow’s end.”

“What?” Adam whispered back, convincing himself that he did not hear _that_.

“You said I will find you at the rainbow’s end.”

Adam started to move away so Kris cupped his face and told him, “Danielle told me, Adam.”

Adam just sat there, eyes wide as he looked at Kris. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I called her a few days ago and said that I wanted to surprise you.” Kris grinned. “She kind of let it slip that you had a list… I think we’re being messed with.”

“Oh god, I am going to die of embarrassment! I plead temporary insanity.” Adam let his head fall on Kris’s shoulder. He wanted to kill Danielle.

“Well, I hope so because man, the things you wrote on that list were pretty weird. Even for you.”

Adam groaned then sat back up quickly, hands in the air. “But it all happened! It’s one big amazing coincidence!”

“Maybe.” Kris looked down and Adam had to laugh because the lightning bolts printed on Kris’s shirt were all rainbow-coloured. “Hey, I had to come through, man. How else would a rainbow be in here?”

When he realized that Kris had kissed him when Audrey Hepburn started singing, Adam felt like his heart was soaring. He took Kris’s hand and kissed his palm.

“I thought you said you weren’t a romantic, Kris Allen.”

“I just didn’t want to leave anything to chance anymore. I want to make you smile and if that meant that I have to follow a really weird list then well, bring it.” Kris scrunched his nose up and put on what was supposed to be a fierce look but it just made Adam think of puppies.

Adam snorted. “So, the movie? Allison knew about this?” When Kris nodded, it took about a minute for Adam to collect himself. His voice was barely a whisper when he said, “I think this is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Kris’s face became serious and he traced the planes of Adam’s face with his fingers as he said, “I can’t tell you that I will be the one you’ve always wanted but I promise that I will try really hard to make you happy.”

Adam’s breath caught as the love he felt all came bubbling up to the surface. He took Kris’s hand between his and smiled. “You’re already doing a good job with that so shut up.”

Kris chuckled softly and Adam could almost see the blush that was sure to be rising in his cheeks. “ _You_ make me happy, Adam.” Kris’s eyes were bright with emotion as he linked his hands at the back of Adam’s neck and whispered, “Oh and yeah, I’m kind of stupidly in love with you. So.”

Adam imagined the many ways that he would get to hear that from Kris, each fantasy more romantic and ridiculous than the last one. He always thought that when it actually happened, it would never measure up to what he had painted in his mind. But right then, when it was already before him, he realised that he could never had come up with something as perfect and the thought overwhelmed him.

Adam turned his head and looked deep into Kris’s eyes, seeing nothing but happiness in them. “Well, you’re in luck then,” he kissed Kris’s nose, “because I’m kind of stupidly in love with you too.”

And then they kissed, right there in the darkness, like so many before them, trapped in time with the perfect song. Maybe some saw the haze fade away when the music stopped and the lights came on but there were some that, like the tapestry of images in the Chelsea’s curtains, just became more beautiful when the uniquely different pieces came together.

Adam knew that their story was just beginning and when he looked into Kris’s eyes, he saw the certainty there that if they could manage it, they would make it last forever.

It’s the least they could do. After all, it would be unwise to let fate down.


End file.
